1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for monitoring various environmental conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Under the current heightened level of alert due to the serious threat of terrorist attack against the United States, various govemmental and private security agencies now employ systems and devices to monitor the environment for the presence of hazardous chemicals, biological agents and radioactive substances. Because such systems and devices must be very sensitive to the presence of these agents, false alarms can be a common occurrence. Moreover, because these hazardous agents may be widely dispersed, many sensing devices are necessary to provide the required coverage. Additionally, conventional sensors and systems for detecting these agents can be prohibitively expensive.
False alarms can create an uncertain situation for hazardous materials (HAZMAT) operators, thus inhibiting their performance and their decision-making processes. Accordingly, a significant need exists to reduce the number of false alarms that typically occur when using a single technology to detect the presence of chemical warfare agents (CWA's).
Wireless technologies have become more and more popular recently. For example, wireless Internet and cell phones have already taken a huge portion of the market share away from wired Internet and telephone lines. As people are more open to wireless technologies because of increased convenience and information security, companies introduce novel wireless technologies and specific areas of applications. One of the most popular wireless technologies presently in use is the Blackberry™ (hereinafter Blackberry) manufactured by Research in Motion Limited (RIM), Ontario, Canada. The Blackberry supports a variety of functions that are popular among professionals—such as e-mail, cell phone, browser and organizer. Moreover, as the Blackberry uses existing cellular communication networks for communication, it has a vast area-of-service capability.
Blackberry is an end-to-end wireless connectivity option. The Blackberry is unique because it is a single integrated device which allows users to easily send e-mails. Additionally, unlike the traditional way of connecting to an e-mail server to check emails, the Blackberry's “push” technology will automatically direct e-mails to the user's Blackberry device and notify the user when a message is received.
Blackberry devices support a wide range of networks. For example, in the United States, Blackberry supports CDMA2000 1X Networks, DataTAC™ Networks, Global System for Mobile communications/General Packet Radio Service (GSM/GPRS) Networks, Mike Networks, Mobitex, and Nextel Networks. Outside the United States, the Blackberry operates on more than 50 networks in more than 30 countries.
The Blackberry is not only a convenient device for individual users, it also provides a mobile communication solution for corporations and government organizations. The Blackberry is especially useful for transmitting time-sensitive data and information. For example, out-of-office salesmen can receive customer information immediately rather than go back to the office and check e-mail.
A block diagram illustrating conventional Blackberry architecture is shown in FIG. 1. The Blackberry communication system includes a Blackberry wireless handheld device 100 which communicates with a wireless network 102. The wireless network is connected to a corporate firewall 104. The corporate firewall 104 is connected to a Blackberry enterprise server 106. The Blackberry enterprise server 106 is then connected to a corporate e-mail server 108 and to a corporate application and content servers 110. Thus, it is seen that the Blackberry is popular because of its vast range of service, its convenience, low-cost and its capabilities. Moreover, the Blackberry is also government-issue communication device for many government agencies.
Accordingly, under current conditions where there is a threat of terrorism using biological, chemical, nuclear and/or other agents against the United States and other countries, agent detection equipment and methods using the Blackberry and Blackberry-type devices for communication may provide a low-cost, scalable, accurate and easy-to-implement solution for identifying dangerous agents and reporting the results to one or more recipients and for allowing the control of mitigating and warning devices.